Through the Fire
Monday, December 29, 2014 by Unknown
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Ouch! On Christmas I burned my right hand on the stove. It really hurt! We've all been there. Fire is very beautiful but...oh how it can burn. This fire that burns so hot is also so great in refining...We can put gold and silver into the fire to refine it, to take out the impurities and make it more pure. In comparison the Bible describes us being refined in the fire (Psalm 66:10). God purposely places us, His dearly loved children, in the fire of affliction, pain, despair...etc. Why? What could be His purpose? Well if we look at what fire does to gold we see the Master's purpose-it refines us, makes us more like Him, less like ourselves and our sinful nature. How does it do that exactly?
I'm sure you can attest to times in your life, maybe recently, that you have been in terrible pain, like the affliction will never end. You may have continually gone to the Lord, seeking comfort. You see, God may want to wake you up out of your complacency! It may have been awhile since you noticed the Lord or prayed to Him. Getting our eyes off of ourselves and onto Christ is a huge reason for the refinement. Zechariah 13:9 answers this:
And I will put (them) into the fire,
and refine them as one refines silver,
and test them as gold is tested.
They will call upon my name,
and I will answer them.
So the things that really stick out in this verse is that first off God is the one that PUTS us into this fire. Yes, our loving God allows us to be tested and afflicted. And what happens is that His children TURN to HIM. Amen!
Are you, in your pain, turning to Christ? He is there, waiting. He loves you and has a purpose in your pain! He is good all the time. Thanks be to the Lord that He hears our cry.
Are you, in your pain, turning to Christ? He is there, waiting. He loves you and has a purpose in your pain! He is good all the time. Thanks be to the Lord that He hears our cry.
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